2026 Discovery Award Nominee: Kyle Boyar

Kyle Boyar has spent 14 years working in cannabis testing, investigating the analytical chemistry and microbiology questions that determine whether safety standards are actually protecting patients and consumers.

His early research examined heavy metals in cannabis vaporizer cartridges. Boyar and his collaborators investigated whether metals from vaporizer hardware could migrate into cannabis oil and inhaled aerosol, helping establish an important product safety concern as vape products became more widely used.

His more recent research asks whether state-mandated microbial and mycotoxin testing requirements are focused on the hazards that matter most. In a 2026 study, Boyar and his collaborators analyzed compliance testing data from multiple states and found extremely low failure rates for the five mycotoxins commonly required by regulators, while identifying evidence that other fungal toxins not routinely included in cannabis testing panels may deserve greater attention.

That work raises an important cannabis safety question. Are regulators testing for contaminants because the evidence shows they present the greatest risk, or because those are simply the analytes states have historically required? Boyar’s research pushes cannabis testing toward standards that evolve with marketplace evidence rather than remaining fixed around old assumptions.

Boyar’s most recent work, an analysis of Aspergillus testing across 11 states, is pending publication. The study found wide variation in detection rates between states and examines how differences in testing methods and other factors may contribute to those results. The research also identified seasonal patterns in Aspergillus detection and explores factors that could improve testing accuracy.

The Discovery Award celebrates researchers willing to question established assumptions when the evidence points somewhere new. Boyar’s work is helping determine whether cannabis safety testing is measuring the risks patients actually face and where those standards may need to change.